Turkey

Today’s Turkey - Anatolia - has been the cradle of agriculture and civilization. The discovery of Göbeklitepe – a temple district built 12.000 years ago, has turned our understanding of history upside down. Reliefs and carvings on the pillars show the importance of agriculture even at that time and puzzle archaeologists, as there are no known tools to create these perfect images at that time. It is known that animal domestication has taken place on today’s Turkey’s soil and there are a lot of plants/fruits, such as hazelnuts, cherries, pomegranades, apple and grapes originate from here. Irrigation systems originating from the Sumerian and Hittite culture are partly still used today. It is also believed that brewing was invented by the Hittites. Even today, Turkey is the world leader in producing hazelnuts, figs, cherries, apricots and quinces and one of the largest producers of tomatoes and citrus fruits. Turkey has to offer a large diversity in agriculture as well as a rich historical past. Each year more than 35 million tourists come to see places such as UNESCO World heritage Istanbul, Troy, Ephesus, Göreme and many more, but also to see some of the most unique natural wonders in the world such as Pamukkale or Cappadocia.